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Game of Thrones: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Daenerys Targaryen

The sixth season of Game of Thrones is almost here, and it looks like this one is going to be absolutely incredible! The series may not have much longer on screen (it's planned to end somewhere between a seventh and tenth season), which means that we should see things start to build to a final resolution.

One of the biggest things that fans are looking forward to seeing is Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her possible return to Westeros. Will she try and take the Iron Throne before the show ends? Will she end up stuck in Meereen indefinitely? Does she ever learn to control her dragons? While we wait to find out, we've rounded up a few facts you might not know about Khaleesi...

10 She Is Only A Teenager

A widow, a mother, and a ruling Queen. We know that Daenerys is young, but she’s not that young… right?! In fact, like many of the other characters in the books, Daenerys is practically a child. In the novels, she is only 13-years-old when we first meet her, and she is sold to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) as a wife. The series made the executive decision to age her a little, bumping her up to all of 15-years-old in Season 1. (Presumably because audiences would reject her sex/rape scenes with Drogo if she was barely even in her teens.)

At this point, she is presumably a few years older, although years and seasons don’t seem to pass in the same way in Westeros that they do in our world (and she hasn’t celebrated any official birthdays). The Mother of Dragons is, at the absolute most, nineteen years old.

9 Drogo Was An Impressively Forward-Thinking Khal

Daenerys and Drogo’s love story is a fan-favorite, as he brings out the warrior woman in her, and we see Dany growing into her power through their relationship. After a lifetime of being beaten down by her brother, Drogo’s (eventual) respect for her and treatment of her as almost an equal was wonderful to see.

However, this was more than just a way to watch Dany grow stronger, it also showed the kind of man that Drogo was. Despite his silence and often rough behavior, his treatment of his Khaleesi was quite rare. For the Dothraki, the Khaleesi is merely the wife of the Khal, and as such, he owns her. She can be treated as a slave, less valuable than the horses, and even “shared” with Khal’s bloodriders.

8 She Was Bald In The Books

Daenerys is known for her long, silver-white hair. However, in the series A Song of Ice And Fire, she spends a period of time completely bald. When she chooses to walk into Drogo’s funeral pyre with her dragon eggs, she remains unharmed, and her magic hatches the eggs and inspires her followers. In both the book and the series, she comes out covered in ash and with her clothes burned away. In the books, her hair is also scorched off her head, and she spends much of her journey to queendom bald, slowly re-growing her white hair.

It’s not known why the series decided to leave her hair unburnt, but presumably it is some combination of the fact that it makes her more attractive as a heroine, and also for practical reasons (not wanting to make multiple wigs for each stage of her hair growth).

7 Her Eyes Are Supposed To Be Purple

In the books, Daenerys is described as stunningly beautiful, with silver hair and purple eyes. Those eyes are actually a common trait for House Targaryen, and are one of the things that mark her as a true Targaryen princess. However, in the series, she has blue-ish eyes.

Rather than an artistic decision, the difference between the books and the film is a purely practical one. Emilia Clarke attempted to wear contacts for the role, but found them too uncomfortable to continue. It was decided that it would be acceptable for Daenerys to lack the purple eyes because of this issue.

6 She Named Her Dragons For Her Family

Daenerys' three dragons are all named after men that Daenerys has loved. Her largest dragon, Drogon, is named after her husband Khal Drogo. Much like his namesake, this is the largest and wildest of her brood, and the one who broke free and is currently living on the plains.

Viserion is the red and gold dragon, named after her brother Viserys (Harry Charles Salusbury Lloyd), who died at the hands of the Dothraki after demanding too much from them. Finally, Rhaegal, her green dragon, is named for her other brother, Rhaegar (who we never meet in the series). While Drogon is currently the only dragon doing a whole lot (the others being chained up underground), there is little doubt that Daenerys’ other two dragons will be coming back into play in Season 6.

5 The Meaning Behind Stormborn

Daenerys was born in the midst of a terrible storm, both literal and political. Conceived during Robert’s Rebellion, she was born on Dragonstone Island on a terrible night when a storm sunk the last of the Targaryen fleet. Her mother died giving birth to her. One of the reasons that this name is important is that it is often used as an explanation for her strength and courage; that she fears nothing having been born into the storm.

However, this isn't all that her name means. It is also often connected to the prophecy of the Prince that was Promised (who may be a princess), as there have been hints that the Prince would be born amidst darkness and chaos.

4 She Is Not (Really) The First Of Her Name

Although Daenerys refers to herself as The First of her Name, the Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, that "first of her name" part is not entirely true. In fact, she is the second confirmed Daenerys Targaryen. Her great great grand aunt was also named Daenerys, and was the daughter of King Aegon IV. This Daenerys lived around a century before the Dany that we all know and love, and ended up marrying the Prince of Dorne (Maron of House Martel).

Modern-day Daenerys can, however, still lay claim to the title of First of Her Name because it’s something usually reserved for rulers only. Because her ancestor remained a Princess Consort and never became Queen, the title of First of Her Name still belongs to Dany.

3 3. She is Breaking Dothraki Law

When Daenerys married Khal Drogo and choked down that horse’s heart, she didn’t just swear to be his wife, but to obey the laws of the Dothraki. One of these laws dictates that when a Khal dies, his Khaleesi must journey to the central (and only) city in the Dothraki Sea (Vaes Dothrak) to become one of the dosh khaleen. These are the ruling crones of the Dothraki, and they live within Vaes Dothrak, tended by eunuchs, acting as seers for the Khals.

However, when Khaleesi chose to form her own Khalasar after Drogo’s death, she broke with Dothraki law. Now that she has been discovered by another Khal on the plains, there will undoubtedly be some consequences to her decision.

2 We Know Who Discovers Her

At the end of Season 5, Daenerys had ridden away from the fighting pits of Meereen on the back of Drogon, into the plains. There, our final glimpse of her was as a khalasar of Dothraki riders found and surrounded her. Assuming that the series will follow the plot of the books, we know that this is actually the khalasar belonging to Ko Jhaqo (Joe Naufahu), one of Khal Drogo’s riders. After Drogo died, Jhaqo was one of the first to declare himself Khal and ride off with much of the original Khalasar.

This is undoubtedly going to have some impact, as Khal Jhaqo and Daenerys battled over a young girl when they last met. Daenerys, still very kind and naïve, tried to prevent the members of the khalasar from raping a girl names Ereoh. After Drogo fell ill, however, Mago took Ereoh to Jhaqo, who raped her, gave her to his men to do the same, and then slit her throat. Daenerys, on learning about this, vowed revenge for what he did.

1 She Might Not Be The Last Targaryen.

Khaleesi currently believes herself to be the last living member of house Targaryen, as her brother Viserys kept telling her that they were the only survivors of the rebellion. However, we have since learned that there may be some more dragons in Westeros. (Perhaps enough for a dragon with three heads?)

Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), potentially dead Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch is rumored to be the illegitimate son of Lyanna Stark and Rheagar Targaryen. If he survives the brutal stabbing he suffered at the end of Season Five, he’s a solid possibility. Another character who has thus far just appeared in the books, not the series, is Young Griff. Griff, who is a travelling companion of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) for a while, claims to be Aegon, the crown prince Targaryen. According to his story, he was given to Varys as an infant, and a tanner’s son was kept in the Royal nursery, and was the one who died during the sack of King’s Landing.

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You know any other intriguing facts about Khaleesi? Let us know in the comments!